Tuesday, January 15, 2008

TMZ is reporting that actor Brad Renfro has died @ 25 years of age. His body was found in his home this morning. Not many official details but after several run-ins with the law involving drugs...

Young readers might not really know who he is but for a while he was supposed to be the next [insert big name here] and, more importantly, seemed to have the talent to back up the hype. His career began with a lead role in a big hit The Client (1994, opposite an Oscar-nominated Susan Sarandon). He was the young Brad Pitt in Sleepers (1996) and later held his own opposite Sir Ian McKellen in the Bryan Singer film Apt Pupil (1998). This decade has been rougher going both personally (stints in jail) and career-wise. His last memorable film year was 2001 with roles in much discussed indies Ghost World and Bully.

I agree with everyone else. It's very tragic especially since he was so good at acting, and would have been able to make to the transition as an adult not like other child actors who don't knwo when to just quit the business because they're not able to successfully transition themselves and then become jokes appearing on every reality television show that will have them (I'm looking your way Coreys).

I was hoping that since I hadn't heard about him getting into trouble for awhile (at least in celebrity time it seemed that way) that he was finally getting clean and trying to get his career together again, or at least getting away from bad influences in Hollywood and giving up acting. Unfortunately, even if he got away from Hollywood, he probably would have still had the same problems because he didn't seem fame whorish at all unlike some other well known celebrities who have addiction problems especially an addiction to any kind of attention. (Sorry Nathaniel, but I think that LiLo does fit in this category. So it probably would do her good to pull a Demi Moore someday and just drop off the face of the earth for awhile. I don't really care about any of the other skanks of the apocalypse as they've been dubbed, and they could actually drop off the face of the earth for all I care. However, Lohan does have talent unlike the other three people in that particular quartet, so I hope that she's able to get her life together someday.I thought that those car accidents would be her wake up call, but unfortunately she may not have that wake up call in time.)

Starz has been showing this random movie lately called "10th and Wolf" starring James Marsden and Giovanni Ribisi, and there was Brad Renfro in it. I don't even remember this film getting a theatrical release. I would have never thought from seeing this that Brad Renfro was some drug addict on his way out. I thought he was past all of that. Such a waste. I remember him in "The Client" and "Bully", and everyone's saying how great he was in "Apt Pupil". Another young talent gone by drugs and excess.

ms pennybags --i wasn't meaning to compare their addictions --just that they both had them. Plus actual talent.

Not that I don't feel for the talentless, addiction is terrible for anyone

Renfro became famous the year after River Phoenix's death (@ 23 years of age) and this is the kind of history Hollywood just shouldn't be repeating. I wonder what will turn it around. Or is it impossible to keep Young Hollywood clean with all the attention they get and the money and the accomodating handlers

spanish john i have just seen apt pupil for the second time and i wondered if brad renfro had done other films and find out he died its real sad because like many of you i thought he was a great actor my condolences to his family and friends and if hes reading i hope you have a role un the skyes rest in peace Brad